


SGN Tantei Koshien

by Phantoms_Echo



Series: Sentinel&Guide Universe [4]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Complete, Conan really just wants to sleep, Guide!Hakuba, Guide!Kaito, Hakuba is onto you, Hattori is a master of his own senses, It's Detective Conan we're talking about here, Kaito is starting to figure this whole Guide thing out, M/M, Mind Meld, Murder, Murder showdown, Non-Recreational Drug Use, Sentinel Rage, Sentinel!Conan, Sentinel!Hattori, Sentinel/Guide, because that's what you do when you're a teen detective, have a competition over a corpse, obviously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-18 12:17:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11874228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantoms_Echo/pseuds/Phantoms_Echo
Summary: “Welcome to the second Tantei Koshien!” Hattori proudly proclaimed./Oi, oi…/ Conan grumbled in his head./ You don't need me for this! /Before Hattori could start a tirade, Hakuba interrupted, “don’t you want to know?”Hattori frowned and cast a glance at Conan. Conan just shrugged, also not knowing what the foreigner was getting at. It’s not like he could read minds.“Three high school detectives, three SGN conditions…” Hakuba shot the other teen a smirk, “Guide, Sentinel, Neutral - You, me, and the famous Kudou. Wouldn't that be a match to see?”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito 1412, only the ideas for this fic.
> 
>  
> 
> AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much to those of you who gave me their condolences. My grandma's death was very sudden and very unexpected. I did get to see her while she was in good health, so I hope to keep memories of her dear to my heart.
> 
> That being said, I have written more in the SGN universe and hope to have more updates for you this week.
> 
> Also, new relationship may be starting. 
> 
> I've only seen Hakuba and Heiji interact one time during the Tantei Koshien, but I think their dynamic is interesting. It gives off the whole angry UST feeling to me. Before you get turned off from this update though, don't worry, there won't be anything explicit with them, just like there won't be anything explicit with Kaito and Conan/Kudou.
> 
> I'll try to warn you when we get close.

Kaito stared hard at the article on his tablet. It was an abstract of a scientific article about the conditions of Guides, Neutrals, and Sentinels and the interactions between them. In the week since the… incident with Tantei-kun, Kaito had read seventeen such articles, trying to figure out what, exactly, he should do, should the situation arise again.

So far, it was mainly ‘instinct’ this and ‘instinct’ that.

Kaito sighed and flopped down onto his desk.

Maybe he just wasn’t cut out for this Guiding thing.

“Is something the matter, Kuroba-kun?” a familiar, British-accented voice asked.

Kaito wanted to bury his face further into his hands at the thought of _Hakuba_ worrying about his health. The last thing he needed was the other Guide sticking his nose into-!

Wait.

That’s it!

“Hakuba!” Kaito jerked his head up, pinning the blonde Guide in his chair with his sharp look. “You’ve done the whole Guide thing before, right?!”

“If by ‘Guide thing,' you are referring to bringing Sentinels out of a zone,” Hakuba straightened his tie as he corrected Kaito’s words, “then yes, I have. Is there a reason you ask?”

“How do you do it?” Kaito asked. He didn’t feel the need to beat around the bush where Guide things were involved.

“It depends on the rank of the Guide,” Hakuba stated, a curious look in his eyes. “In your case and those up to Rank C, it is generally acceptable to draw a Sentinel’s attention to yourself using whatever sense is being zoned in on. Most Guides are then able to create a sort of bridge between their mind and the Sentinel’s mind to allow for communication and to slowly draw the Sentinel’s more conscious mind towards the front.”

Okay, that… sort of sounded familiar.

“What about higher than Rank C?” Kaito asked. He knew he may seem low ranked, but his higher rank would put him in far more compromising situations, he wass sure.

Hakuba frowned. “Rank Bs and As sometimes need to be more… forceful. If a Sentinel has gone into a fugue, they may not react to Guides beyond the first step of focusing senses. Some Guides are able to get their attention by faking distress. Doing so makes Sentinels focus on them in order to protect them from outside forces. Again, the neural passageway must be made and maintained by the Guide.”

“And that works for both fuguing and raging Sentinels?” Kaito asked for clarification.

Hakuba’s frown turned sharp. “Kuroba, please do not tell me that you are looking to connect with a level 4 or 5 Sentinel.”

“So what if I am?” Kaito rebuffed, feeling his shoulders prickle with defensiveness. _Poker face_ , he told himself, drawing in a slow breath.

“I recommend, from the bottom of my heart, that you _stay_ _away_ from any Sentinel that can slip into a fugue or rage,” Hakuba said seriously, his eyes boring into Kaito’s. “Ranks are given for a reason, Kuroba.”

“They’re meant to be broken?” Kaito guessed.

“They are meant to _keep you safe_ ,” Hakuba replied, face growing tight. “Trying to Guide a level 3 Sentinel will, at best, give you a headache and, at _worst_ , lay you up in the hospital. Trying to do so with a level 4 or 5… you would end up _brain-dead_ if not _actually dead_.”

Kaito drew back, feeling a slight chill go down his spine. “I thought… Sentinels were supposed to protect Guides.”

“It’s hard to do if the thing they are trying to protect you from is themselves,” Hakuba said darkly. “It’s for the best, Kuroba, to stay away from them -for your own sake.”

Kaito went quiet for a long moment, processing what Hakuba said. He… hadn’t known it was that dangerous for lower-ranked Guides. He supposed he should be grateful that he was a high-rank Guide. Otherwise, helping Tantei-kun would have had _disastrous_ results.

“How…” he started to ask his final question, but took a moment to revise. “What’s the difference between Zone, Fugue, and Rage?”

“Didn’t you learn this in Health class?” Hakuba grumbled under his breath about the Japanese education system. “Zoning is when a Sentinel gets too focused on one sense. It’s similar to a very interesting distraction. I remember reading once of a Sentinel sitting for hours by a fountain, watching the reflection of the sun, before a Guide came over to help them.”

Kaito nodded. He knew of that one the best. He’d seen classmates start to zone during tests or while racing around the track. A repetitive motion was easiest to lose oneself in, or so he’d heard.

“Fuguing is where two or more senses come into play,” Hakuba continued. “Two senses constantly compete with one another, pulling the Sentinel in different directions and causing the conscious mind to submerge in order to protect itself from overload. In all cases, the Sentinel in fugue will act something like a doll, no conscious movement in an effort to keep from losing their minds.”

… Similar to Tantei-kun. So, he was a level 4 at least, but Kaito already knew that.

“And Rage?” Kaito asked.

“Raging comes, in most cases, directly from a Guide being placed in immediate, life-threatening danger,” Hakuba stated. “Studies have come to the hypothesis that it was left over from tribal times where Guides were much weaker, physically, than they are now. A Guide would send out a distress signal and all Sentinels would come running in order to protect them.”

“But not anymore, right?” Kaito asked.

“Though it is only seen in level 5 Sentinels, it is not uncommon.” Hakuba shrugged. “Sometimes, Guides do it on accident, when they try to catch the attention of a Fugue. Other times, Guides coming online in traumatic situations can cause Rages from inexperience. And sometimes -now, pay attention, Kuroba -sometimes, Rages can end up with the Guide being hurt through no fault of theirs or the Sentinel.”

“The Sentinel just, what, turns on them?” Kaito asked, confused. Tantei-kun… didn’t _seem_ all that aggressive. Maybe he’d left fugue and returned to zone?

“During a Rage, Sentinels are reduced to their most base selves,” Hakuba explained. “Some, deep down, are wild beasts. Other are not. There’s no real way to tell until one goes into a rage, which is why, as Guides, we must prevent that.”

Kaito fell quiet, mulling over the blonde detective’s words. Yes, he knew a lot about this from previous classes, but it was different. Then, the Neutral teacher had been trying to explain concepts far beyond them. Here, Hakuba was likely talking from experience.

It was food for thought, that was for sure.

Before Kaito could ask another question, the homeroom teacher called the class to order.

Oh well, he knew where to look if he wanted any more info.

*             *             *             *             *

Conan let out a yawn so big that his jaw cracked and his ears popped.

“Tired, Kudou-kun?” Haibara asked, blatant laughter behind her eyes. “Maybe you shouldn’t stay up so late.”

“Believe me, if I could, I wouldn’t,” he grumbled. “Any days without and I’ll likely start making mistakes again.”

“Like assisting certain phantom thieves in their getaway?” Haibara snickered at Conan’s groan.

Yes, her amusement over his little escapade from last week didn’t look to be dying anytime soon. He only remembered bits and pieces, like running down streets and into his school. He remembered smoke, but not how it got there, or his house, but not why he thought of it.

The thing that stuck with him most, though, was a very simple fact: Kaitou KID was a Guide.

He had no idea what rank the Guide was at. It had felt low in his mind during the run, but the fact that KID created a mental bridge and held it the entire getaway spoke volumes of his hidden strength. Conan was beginning to think the first power level he’d felt had been a mask, much like KID’s other disguises.

Unfortunately, knowing this didn’t put him even a _single_ step closer to uncovering the thief’s identity. He couldn’t exactly go up to Nakamori-keibu or Hakuba and tell them to start bringing Sentinels to the heists. For one, he was not sure they would listen. For two, if they did, they’d ask how he knew.

He couldn’t tell them that he found out because he’d gone into a zone in the middle of a heist and KID had taken it upon himself to keep Conan safe.

That was the exact opposite of what Conan was trying to do. He had to keep his status under wraps. If that meant keeping KID’s a secret, well, so be it.

It didn’t mean he was happy about it though.

“Who’s Conan-kun assisting?” Ayumi asked, butting into their conversation.

“Edogawa-kun is assisting Mouri-kun today,” Haibara lied, smooth as silk. “I believe she wanted help with groceries.”

“Aw!” Ayumi whined. “Conan never plays with us anymore!”

“Tomorrow,” Conan promised with a weak smile. “I’ll definitely play with you tomorrow.”

Hopefully, his sleep deprivation would cause him to pass out for a full eight hours tonight and he’d be able to handle the three hyperactive kids in the morning.

“It’s a promise!” Ayumi ordered. “Conan-kun better not forget!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Conan said as he slowed to a stop at the steps of the Mouri Detective agency. “Have a safe walk home!”

“Tomorrow, Conan-kun!” Ayumi called as she waved and walked backwards.

Conan waved until they were out of sight and then dropped the childish facade. His shoulders ached from the stressful nights he’d had and fitful sleep for the last week. He’d looked at the pills more than once before bed, but he couldn’t allow himself to start up that habit again.

Last week had been clear, he was starting to build up a resistance.

What should have lasted him eight hours was down to seven, maybe a little less. Professor Agasa had been reluctant to up Conan’s dosage, so he’d been trying to get by like he was supposed to in the first place, but it was just so hard.

He might stay the night over at Agasa’s again this weekend. If nothing else, he’d get 100% cotton sheets and pajamas and maybe a room far enough away that he couldn’t hear the professor snore.

Last weekend, after his zone, he’d slept for a full two days.

It was some of the best sleep he’d gotten since this whole Sentinel thing began.

Maybe… tonight… he could just take one...

He shook his head, ridding himself of such thoughts. He needed the pills to work during the day, so he couldn’t use them at night.

He told himself he just had to be strong.

He told himself that would have to be enough.

Straightening his shoulders as best he could, Conan took to the stairs, climbing them one at a time and begrudgingly using the handrail. The light was on in the office, but he didn’t feel like listening in on a case today. His mind was too tired for that.

Instead, he continued upwards to where Ran would most likely be. Maybe, if she was cooking, he could sneak a painkiller while her back was turned. His head had started to throb to the beat of his heart partway through the day. Nothing like last time with the zone, but it did make him cautious.

Finally, he reached the top of the stairs and opened the door. Conan didn't get further than “I'm home!” before a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him the opposite way. A quick “let me borrow this kid, onee-chan!” was thrown back in heavily accented Kansai.

In the next instant, Conan found himself on the back of a motorcycle with an ill-fitting helmet shoved on his head.

How had he missed the motorcycle parked out front? He must really be tired.

The motorbike lurched under him, causing him to scramble for handholds as they peeled away from the curb.

“Oi! _Oi_!” he shouted over the roar of the wind. His fingers tightened in Hattori’s nylon jacket, scrabbling to hold on. “Hattori!”

“Just hold on, Kudou!” The Osakan yelled back, voice way too gleeful. Conan wondered briefly why the teen was even here. In order to snatch him right after school, the Osakan had to have skipped his own classes and the only thing Conan knew could convince the teen to do that was a case.

But, if there was a case, why did he come to get Conan? If something happened in Beika, surely Conan would have heard about it before Hattori, right?

“Where are we going?” Conan demanded over the roar of the wind.

“Ekoda!” the Osakan sang back. “We’ve got a locked room murder!”

And, well, Conan really couldn’t pass that up, could he?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the events in this fic.
> 
> PS- I won't be posting tomorrow. It's gym day, so I'll be getting my exercise in. Also, this may have four chapters instead of 3, but I won't know until further on. Have fun with this update!

The duo pulled to a stop outside a large mansion. Well, at first glance, it looked like a mansion, but at a second glance, Conan could see where different parts of the house were added on over the years. There were a couple different styles and themes, but overall, they blended together in order to create a place that seemed complete, even if it wasn’t yet.

“Oi, Kudou!” Hattori called from the front door. “Hurry it up!”

Taking his helmet off and balancing it as best he could on the bike, Conan hopped off and ran to catch up.

Inside was much the same as the outside. The stairs upwards didn’t quite fit with the entryway and the door off to the left seemed a little out of place, but the dark wood finishing and staining seemed to bring everything together.

“Oh? I didn’t realize they had called hot-blooded-kun in as well,” a familiarly accented voice called from the top of the stairs. Conan looked up to see honey-gold eyes peering down at him. “Ah! And the boy from the Detective’s mansion! A delight, as always!”

“Hakuba,” Hattori greeted icily as the blonde walked down the stairs, head held high.

“By your tone, I assume you are not surprised to see me here,” Hakuba paused at the bottom step, keeping himself a half-foot taller than Hattori. “Which, I admit, is a surprise to me, since I only stopped by when I saw the police cars in the driveway.”

“We’re in Ekoda,” Hattori bristled. “Y’live in Ekoda. Makes sense t’run int’ya here.”

“Ah, yes.” Hakuba straightened his tie. “And I suppose you _always_ track down where other teen detectives live?”

 _Well, actually…_ Conan thought back to the first time he and Hattori had met. It had been because Hattori wanted to have a show-down of sorts. Detective of the East versus Detective of the West, winner becomes Heisei Holmes. Conan… had to admit that he didn’t remember how, exactly, that showdown ended. He’d gotten sick afterwards and laid up in bed for three days (though, part of that may have been due to his constant sleep deprivation).

He does know that Hattori figured out he was Kudou Shinichi _and_ a Sentinel in one go.

“ _Sentinels can sense each other_ ,” Hattori had said that day.

Conan had to take his word for it. As much as his senses had battled the Senes-5 and his body burned through the drug during his changes, he hadn’t been able to focus on much of anything.

“Newspapers,” Hattori answered a question that Conan had forgotten about by now. Oh yeah, how he was stalking Hakuba. “Y’always show up in th’Ekoda G’zette. ‘n on th’mornin’ news.”

“I suppose you are correct.” Hakuba gave him a sly look. “A little more than you show up in the Osaka Herald.”

“ _Why you little piece of-!?”_

“Hattori-nii-san?” Conan asked so sweetly his own teeth ached. “why are we here?”

“Yes, why are you here?” Hakuba frowned, “Shouldn’t you still be in Osaka? Just getting out of class?”

“I skipped!” Hattori crossed his arms, jutting his chin out with a grin. “Got th’okay from Pops ‘n everythin’! Special day after all!”

“And why is that?” Hakuba asked, a disconcerting look on his face. Hattori’s grin widened.

“Welcome t’th’second Tantei Koshien!” Hattori proudly proclaimed.

 _Oi, oi…_ Conan grumbled in his head. _You don't need me for this!_

“Oh? Is this a challenge?” Hakuba smirked. His crossed his arms and canted one hip out. “Do you really want to pick up where we left off last time, hot-blooded-kun?”

“What’re y’callin’ me _hot-blooded_ for?!” Hattori snarled. “If you happen t’recall, I _won_ last time!”

 _Technically we both did_. Conan thought, remembering the way Hattori stole his spotlight.

“Technically, you forged evidence to do it,” Hakuba pointed out. “You only caught the culprit because she got panicked at the end.”

“Oh, like claimin’ that th’fake director was th’culprit because he could _pick a lock_ weren’t just as hot-blooded!” Hattori huffed.

 _Well, to be fair, Hakuba does chase after KID…_ Conan thought to himself. _Lock-picking typically points out the culprit..._

“Anyway, I want t’settle this once ‘n fer all!” Hattori jabbed a finger at Hakuba. “If I win, y’have t’stop callin’ me hot-blooded!”

“And if I win?” Hakuba asked, putting a finger to his temple.

“If you win…?” Hattori drew back in confusion. Then he scowled. “Yer not gonna, but what would y’want?”

“That’s all right. I don't need anything.” Hakuba smiled genially. “Just knowing that I am of a superior breed will be fine with me.”

“Superior-?!” Hattori snapped to attention sharply. If he had a sword of any type, Conan was sure that it would be drawn and ready.

Before Hattori could start a tirade, Hakuba interrupted. “Don’t you want to know?”

Hattori frowned and cast a glance at Conan. Conan just shrugged, also not knowing what the foreigner was getting at. It’s not like he could read minds.

“Three high school detectives, three SGN conditions…” Hakuba shot the other teen a smirk, “Sentinel, Guide, Neutral - You, me, and the famous Kudou. Wouldn't that be a match to see?”

“Y-yer a Guide?!” Hattori took a startled step back. Even Conan’s eyes widened in surprise. If Hakuba was a Guide, did that mean he could sense…?

“Although there would really be no contest.” Hakuba sighed, looking put out. “After all, Guides have such a high level of psychic prowess that pitting us against anyone would seem cruel, let alone a Sentinel.”

“ _What did you just say_?!” Hattori growled.

“Calm down, Hattori-nii-san.” Conan grabbed onto the tail of his shirt, trying to hold the teen back from an unpleasant outburst. Though he was also a Sentinel, Conan knew better than to pick fights with others for insults like that. Keeping in mind that he was hidden, of course.

“Still, it would be interesting to see how Kudou-san would fair against me,” Hakuba said in a thoughtful tone, “but maybe KID Killer-kun can take his place for today?” Hakuba said this as he crouched down in front of Conan. “Children are neutrals, after all, and Conan-kun is far smarter than the average elementary student.”

Under those piercing eyes, Conan stiffened. If Hakuba was a Guide, then he might be one that had supernatural abilities, such as telepathy. The last thing Conan wanted was his secret getting out. As such, he tried to think of anything _but_ his status as a Sentinel as he answered, “Y-yeah!”

“Hmm?” Hakuba blinked at the nervous response from a usually amiable child, but he left it for now. If it was important, he would know with time. “Well, I’ve toured enough of the crime scene for now. I’ll begin interrogation of the household staff. If you two will please excuse me…”

Without another word, Hakuba walked off, leaving Hattori to steam.

Conan let out a sigh of relief and wandered into a room at random. The room looked like a study of sorts, filled with a large desk, a couple bookshelves and a fire place. Cautiously, he walked further into the room, accompanied by the grumbles from the older teen.

“Ah! Conan-kun!” Takagi greeted him from where he was looking over one of the bookshelves. “I didn’t realize Mouri-kun was here.”

“He’s not,” Conan pointed back to Hattori, “Hattori-nii-san brought me here. He said there was a locked-room murder?”

“W-well, I wouldn’t say _murder_ ,” Takagi said, looking over to where another man could be seen arguing with Megure-keibu in another room. “The mistress of the house was found in the basement. The staff hadn’t seen her in a day or two and, when they noticed the basement door was locked, they broke down the door to find her. She’d already died by then.”

“Hmmm?” Conan cocked his head to the side. “Why is it a mystery then?”

“Well, she was hung by the neck and…” Takagi looked over at the man again. Conan assumed the man arguing was the victim’s husband. Takagi leaned down to whisper to Conan, “she had self-inflicted marks on her neck.”

Conan sucked in a breath. Those types of marks… they only came when someone struggled against being choked.

“But the door was locked?” Conan confirmed. “And no one was found down there?”

“No.” Takagi shook his head. “No one else was found. The master of the house, Toshida-san, started asking where she was the first night when she wasn’t at dinner with him. It just got worse from there until they found her.”

So it was definitely murder, but the _how_ is what got Conan right now. He probably needed to see the crime scene, but he wanted to check the rest of the house before he rolled up his shirt sleeves and got to work. Looking up as innocently as he could, Conan asked, very politely, “Can I look around, Takagi-keiji?”

“Sure, Conan-kun,” Takagi permitted, used to having the boy around his crime scenes. “Just remember not to move anything around.”

“Okay!” Conan sang before he tugged Hattori off into a different direction. He wondered, idly, if the teen had caught _any_ of the conversation over his own grumblings about Hakuba.

He doubted it.

“We gotta beat him, Kudou!” Hattori ordered, his teeth visibly grinding. Conan did his best to ignore the teen as he searched the room for clues about the impossible death. “We can't let him talk about Sentinels like that!”

“ _You_ can't, you mean,” Conan replied as he stalked across the squeaky wooden floorboards.

“Uh, _excuse you_!” Hattori huffed, looming over the boy, hands in his pockets. “Yer one too, yanno!”

“Not right now,” Conan answered, pushing aside a tapestry. Old, strange houses like this had servant corridors, but… no, that’d be too obvious. “With Senes-5, my senses are capped at the level of a Neutral. I'm no more Sentinel than Ran is a Guide.”

Hattori was quiet for a long, judging moment. “You still takin’ that stuff?”

Conan’s shoulders drew up. “I don't have a choice. As a kid, no one would believe me if I told them I’m a Sentinel. What’s more, I can't afford to let a Guide inside of my head. Any knowledge about Kudou Shinichi or the Black Organization could put them in real danger.”

“But still-!”

“It’s better for everyone this way, Hattori.” Conan’s tone closed down that subject of discussion. “Besides, you’re being a hypocrite.”

Hattori scowled. “I’m only takin’ Senes-3. You know that.”

“Because you have three senses, not five.” Conan pointed out. “Hey, go check out the garage for me? Look for something that has a long reach.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Hattori grumbled as he straightened and skulked over through the house. He found the garage after a few minutes of searching. There was a single car parked inside with the garage door open. No doubt it was being used as a second entrance for the police.

Scuffing his feet, Hattori meandered over to look through the various garden supplies. Either this house had one pretentious gardener, or someone actually _used_ all of this stuff. Fertilizers, garden spades, _mats for knees on concrete_ …

Oh hello, what’s this?

Hattori reached out.

“You hang out with that boy quite often,” Hakuba said from right behind Hattori.

“Yipe!” Hattori jumped and turned to face the foreigner. “What th’hell?!”

“Apologies,” Hakuba said, a slightly surprised look on his face. “I had thought you would hear me coming.”

“I might’ve, if I had _wanted_ t’pay attention t’ya!” Hattori bristled.

“Strange.” Hakuba put a thumb to his chin. “Last time, you heard the hammer beat a person to death before any of us knew it. Do you usually pay attention to that-?”

“Can y’just-?!” Hattori made a strangling motion with his hands. “What d’you want me fer?”

“Ah, yes.” Hakuba blinked and continued his earlier thought. “That boy, Conan-kun, he is strange. He is far more intelligent than others his age. You also appear to hang out with him a fair amount. Is Conan-kun a Guide?”

“A… what?” Hattori froze, eyes wide.

“A Guide. I understand that Sentinels only come online in the teens, but Guides are known to awaken earlier if a traumatic event occurs,” Hakuba explained. “I was wondering if you knew whether Conan had come online or not? Otherwise, why would you interact with him so much?”

“I…!” Okay, there were two ways this could play out.

Hattori could answer ' _No,_ ’ Conan is not a Guide -the truth. Hakuba would then say something along the lines of _'then it's simply a child playing with another child_.’

Should Hattori say _'Yes,’_ Hakuba would come back with _'I see, so a child can understand your mind better than yourself’_ which is equally insulting.

Either way, Hattori knew he was setting himself up for insults and really, _neither_ explained the situation especially since the reason he hung out with Kudou was _solely_ out of a _pressing need for_ -!

“SOLIDARITY!” Hattori shouted before scurrying out of the garage and slamming the door behind him.

“Uh…” Hakuba just stared at the door, blinking. “Well… okay then?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Heiji has an accent, so I tried my best to make a replacement. Please tell me if it's too much.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the events in this fic.
> 
> PS- I know I had said three chapters, it's looking more like four or five. But more stuff to read, am I right?
> 
> Sadly, for those of you waiting for Kaito to show up, I think he had his one appearance for this fic. Don't worry, next fic will be more Kaito/Conan-centric. Lots more. :)

Conan walked across the room from the bookcase to the fireplace, only to notice something.

The floor didn't squeak.

Blinking, Conan crouched and knocked against the floor. He stood and walked to a part that squeaked near the desk. Crouching, he knocked again. He did this twice more in other areas of the room before he was satisfied with his findings. He wasn’t sure what it meant yet, but he knew everything would come together the more clues he got.

Conan turned to Takagi. “Takagi-keiji? Where is the body?”

“Ah! In the basement,” Takagi answered, pointing to a door, “just beyond there.”

“Thank you!” Conan chirped before running over. The door was already open, so he just started down the stairs, only to nearly trip down the first step. Grasping onto the railing, he caught his balance. He squinted down at his feet. There was nothing to trip on, so what had…?

He took the next step, feeling a similar _off_ feeling like he’d gotten on the first step. The feeling stayed with him all the way down the stairs. Peeking in, he saw where the mistress of the mansion hung from the ceiling, rope noose looped around a hook in the plaster.

“ _Hey!_ ” The shout came from behind him. Conan startled, falling down the last step. Before he could land, he was scooped up by the back of his collar. “What do you think you’re _doing_ , boy?!”

“Ah!” Takagi called from further up the stairs. “Toshida-san! Conan-kun is familiar with the police and crime scene practices, so-!”

“So you let him _run around crime scenes_?!” the master of the house bellowed. “What is the Tokyo police force coming to!?”

“W-well, that is-!”

“I’m sorry!” Conan whined, twisting in the man’s grasp. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

“Go back upstairs!” the man ordered, setting him roughly on the last step. Toshida firmly place himself in front of the base of the stairs. “Go on, get!”

“Y-Yes!” Conan agreed as he scrambled up the stairs. On the first step, though, his foot caught the lip of the step and he went crashing down. He hissed at the ache in his right knee. The carpeted stairs appeared to have skinned it.

Conan lifted himself up, but paused, looking at the step in front of him. Then he looked at the ceiling where it slanted with a second staircase overhead leading to the second floor. Both sets appeared to start and end at the same point, so that made these stairs…

He looked up with a smirk _. So that’s how they did it...Now to figure out who…_

“Now look what you did!” Toshida yelled after him as Conan scrambled to his feet and carefully climbed the rest of the stairs. “Go get Narito to fix you up.”

“Ah, Narito is the butler,” Takagi offered as Conan passed.

“That’s okay,” Conan said. “I’ll be fine. Hattori-nii-san might have some bandages on him.”

Just as he said that, the door to the garage slammed shut, the Osakan detective hurrying inside like the dogs of hell were after him. Conan and Takagi shot him questioning looks, but he just waved them off.

Shrugging, Takagi turned to continue down the stairs.

When he was out of earshot, Conan asked, “What was that?”

“Just Hakuba bein’ Hakuba,” Hattori answered, shoulders drawing up defensively. “I found somethin’ of interest in th’garage. What ‘bout you?”

“The stairs are steeper than the typical staircase,” Conan said, looking back at the basement. He moved towards the study they had been in before. “But they cover the same length. To have the same length but different depth, space must be missing.”

“So there must be some kinda crawlspace between th’basement ‘n first floor. Likely it was left alone when they added in th’basement,” Hattori added, following Conan to the study. The two stopped before the desk. “So th’murderer gets into th’crawlspace somehow, I’m thinkin’ trapdoor or back entrance.”

“Trapdoor, over by the fireplace,” Conan replied. He rubbed at his eyes. “The floors sounded different –hollow –and the boards squeak everywhere but on the ones that, theoretically, move.”

“Show me,” Hattori ordered, despite taking the lead. Conan scrambled over, feet sliding on the polished wood floors. He pointed to the area he’d found. Hattori popped a squat to examine it closely. “No discernable handle.”

“I think there’s," -Conan cut off in a yawn -“a hidden… switch or something.”

Hattori raised an eyebrow. “This case borin’ you?”

Conan rolled his eyes. “Hardly. Just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. Mouri snored.”

“Hmm…” Hattori wanted to ask more, but he also wanted to find more clues. His detective instinct won out. “Th’ fireplace has a candlestick, a picture ‘n frame, ‘nd a bust. The bookshelf across th’room also has a lot of options. Which y’thinkin’?”

“Could be either,” Conan answered. “A near switch could activate the floor mechanism, but so could a far switch with a timer. If the victim and murderer were the only ones home, it would be easy to lock the victim in. Then, no one would be able to see the floor open up, whether by timer or not.”

“We could look for th’switch by knockin’ stuff over.” Hattori crossed his arms.

“But we don’t want the murderer to catch on,” Conan said lowly, putting his hand to his chin in thought.

“And we dun want _Hakuba_ t’catch on!” Hattori grumbled, face darkening. Conan shot him an unimpressed look which Hattori ignored. With a sigh, Hattori put his hands on his hips. “Looks like there’s nothin’ else.”

He held out a hand to Conan.

Conan looked at it and back to Hattori.

“I need yer hand,” Hattori deadpanned.

Conan scowled. “I’m not going to run off or anything.”

Hattori blinked and, well, yes, he could see how Kudou drew that conclusion. He shook his head. “Not fer you, fer me.”

Conan frowned at him, but placed his own hand in Hattori’s. He said nothing when the Osakan’s hand engulfed his own, middle and pointer finger sliding to the vein on the underside of his tiny wrist.

“When a minute’s passed, tap me,” Hattori instructed. Confused, Conan nodded and brought his watch to eye level.

Taking a deep breath, Hattori felt for his sense of sight. Imagining a knob set to zero, he slowly cranked up the strength of his sense. The world shifted around him as other sounds became muffled. He concentrated, keeping the pulse at his fingertips as an anchor to reality.

Slowly, the candlestick on the mantle came into focus. Hattori blinked and his vision zoomed in, threw details into sharp relief. A quick scan showed some blurs around the base of the holder. Another blink and he could make out lines and curves of fingerprints.

A tap on his fingers drew his attention back to the pulse keeping time in the back of his mind. Slowly, he dialed his senses back down, wincing at the strain in his eyes.

“Candlestick has a lotta fingerprints on it,” Hattori stated. “We’ll want t’confirm if it’s a decorative piece or in actual use. Could be th’switch we’re lookin’ for.”

Conan’s jaw dropped. “How did you _do_ that?”

Hattori blinked down at him. “You’ve never dialed up yer senses?”

“I’m mostly trying to keep them normal and under wraps.” Conan scowled. “What did you do?”

“I just focused my vision on th’candlestick until I could see what I was lookin’ for.” Hattori shrugged. “Sentinels c’n do it with one or more senses, but trainin’ t’do it is hard. It can lead to a zone if we’re not careful.”

Conan paled. “You risked a _zone_?!”

“Not quite.” Hattori lifted Conan’s trapped hand. “I kept your pulse as an anchor. A Guide would have been better, since I could focus without touchin’ ‘em, but Neutrals work too –and apparently other Sentinels.”

“I told you,” Conan pouted. “I’m basically a Neutral right now.”

Hattori grinned. “Yes, you did. Now, come on! We need t’check th’rest of the suspicious objects.”

Roughly twenty minutes later, the two stood before the bust. It was the only object with suspicious prints. They were mostly around the back of the neckline with one outlier at the right ear –the thumbprint of a right handed person.

“So you’re thinking…?” Conan crossed his arms.

“Yeah, most likely.” Hattori mirrored the boy. “Want to check downstairs now?”

“If I _can_.” Conan sighed. “Toshida-san, the master of the mansion, chased me up here. Said kids shouldn’t be playing at crime scenes.”

“Oh?” Hattori leaned down, teasing smile on his face. “Of course! Shrimps like you should keep outta dead bodies and murder sprees!”

“Try telling that to _fate_ ,” Conan huffed.

“Have the two of you finished investigating?” Hakuba asked as he walked in from the garage.

“Nah,” Hattori answered, his guard coming back up. “Conan said he got chased out of the basement by Toshida-san.”

“That won’t do. Who would play the Neutral in our Tantei Koshien, then?” Hakuba shook his head. “I’ll talk with Toshida-san. I’ll just say Conan is my assistant or something.”

“If anythin’, he’s _my_ assistant!” Hattori said aggressively, but the blonde detective was already heading down the stairs. “How someone as stubborn ‘n pretentious as him is a _Guide_ is beyond me!”

Minutes later, Hakuba waved from the stairs for the two Sentinels to head down.

Hattori led the way with Conan following close at his heels. In the basement, Toshida gave Conan an icy glare to show his disapproval, but didn’t herd the boy out again. Conan was grateful to Hakuba for that.

“What’re we lookin’ at, Takagi-keiji?” Hattori asked as he wandered close to the body.

 _Hey, he already told us!_ Conan wanted to say, but he remembered that Hattori had been mid-Hakuba rant at the time, so he likely didn’t pay attention.

 “The victim was hung by the neck from the ceiling. Yoshikawa marks on the area around the rope indicate a forced hanging rather than suicide,” Takagi listed off from his notepad. “However, the door to the basement was locked and the key found in the victim’s pocket. With no other suspects or witnesses and a crime scene with only one door and no windows, we have to conclude that it was an accidental suicide.”

 _Right_ , Conan thought, _because people ‘accidentally’ string a rope from the ceiling and hang themselves with it._

Conan paced closer, ignoring Takagi’s call for him.

Hattori already stood at the scene, hand to his chin in thought. When Conan came up beside him, Hattori pointed upwards. “Ropes tied to a hook in th’ceiling. Small hook like that, it’s gotta be anchored into a support beam up there. Otherwise, it’d pull out with th’weight of a human.”

“So this was premeditated,” Conan concluded, slipping his hands into his pockets. “What else?”

“Faint hint of grass,” Hattori added, “but I dunno what from.”

“Hmm…” Conan looked around before dragging a chair over to reach the victim. He took out a handkerchief to keep from tampering with evidence too much. “Where do you smell it most?”

“It’s diffused,” Hattori answered. “It’s near her apron pocket, but also over by Takagi-keiji. It might just be that someone tracked th’scent in from outside.”

Conan made another considering hum before gently prying the apron pocket open. Nothing inside. Conan glanced up. “Takagi-keiji, was there something in this pocket?”

“Ah! Yes!” Takagi lifted up a plastic evidence bag. “The key to the basement door was found in that pocket.”

Hattori wandered over and opened the bag to sniff. “Yeah, same metallic smell. No grass though.”

“G… grass???” Takagi repeated, confused. Hattori handed the evidence bag back and walked back to Conan’s side.

“No grass, but metal…” Conan pried the pocket open further, squinting into the shadow. There was… something…

Takagi squawked as he reached in.

“It’s a… string?” Hattori asked, puzzled. “It’s got th’grass scent on it, that’s for sure.”

Strange, why would a string the length of his thumb smell of grass? Conan peered closer at it, trying to pick out details, but the lighting was just too dark. Tsking to himself, Conan looked up

And noticed a burnt out light.

“Hey.” Conan nudged Hattori. “Was that always like that?”

The Osakan looked up, nose scrunched as he thought back. “Yeah? Least since we came in.”

Conan narrowed his eyes and put a foot on the back of the chair. “Hattori, give me a boost.”

“‘Kay,” Hattori acquiesced. “Ah! Hey! Watch th’hat!”

Now that he was nearly even with the ceiling, Conan saw it. A thin layer of dust had been disturbed, leaving a very, _very_ faint ring around the light.

“Do you see what I see?” Conan asked.

“Hand,” Hattori ordered, taking Conan’s wrist. A couple blinks and he squinted, less in concentration, more in thought. “Th’light unit’s been tampered with. Dust ring around it is offset. More fingerprints.”

Conan reached up, not to touch but to measure his hand against it. Two, maybe three of his child hands could fit outstretched in the lighting unit.

Exactly big enough for an adult arm.

The hand around his wrist squeezed, grabbing his attention. Looking down, Conan noticed the very pointed eye flick Hattori gave. Discreet as possible, Conan turned his gaze onto the victim’s husband. The man was watching them with a dark look in his eyes. It was nothing for Conan to make the connection.

But he had to divert attention.

“Takagi-keiji!” Conan hollered, voice pitched higher than normal. “We need a new light! This one’s broken!”

“Co-Conan-kun!” Takagi gave an apologetic smile to the husband. “You shouldn’t go messing with someone else’s house! Besides, I’m sure Toshida-san will replace the light after we leave.”

“Of course,” the man harrumphed.

“Oh… okay!” With that, Conan jumped down from Hattori’s shoulders to the chair. Toshida seemed to relax, until- “Takagi-keiji! I found something!”

“Oh? What is it, Conan-kun?” Takagi asked, leaning down to see Conan’s outstretched palm. He gave the string on the handkerchief a critical look. “Conan-kun, that’s just a string.”

“But, but!” Conan’s voice went higher as if he were on the verge of tears. “It could be evidence!”

“Okay, okay!” Takagi held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll put it in a bag!”

Toshida huffed and crossed his arms.

Childish persona fully intact, Conan turned to Hattori with a grin, but ended up yawning instead.

“You get tired from one night without sleep?” Hattori scoffed.

“More like all week,” Conan grumbled quietly. He looked around to make sure no one was listening, but he knew there was no way Hattori would let things lie. The Osakan _never_ paid attention to his surroundings whenever they talked about ‘Kudou’ or the ‘Sentinel’ thing.

Conan was kind of amazed he hadn’t been found out yet, to be honest.

“Why dun you buy cotton sheets ‘n ear plugs?” Hattori asked, hands in his pockets. The look on his face had shifted from smug to concerned.

“ _Other_ than the fact that Ran could notice? And figure out that my medicine isn’t actually for ‘allergies’ or whatever?” Conan raised an eyebrow at Hattori. “Ear plugs would irritate me as much as the snoring.”

“So try Senes.”

“Already on it.” Conan winced, as he thought of the last weekend. “And I’m starting to build a resistance.”

“So go Senes-4,” Hattori suggested. “Different chemical make-up but it would knock out all but one sense. Can’t guarantee which.”

“That… might work,” Conan admitted. Even if the sense was hearing, at least his skin wouldn’t be rubbed raw every night. He might even be able to use ear plugs or drown out noise with music.

He’d try anything at this point.

“That has to wait for later,” Conan said quietly. “What did you find in the garage?”

“Oh!” Hattori knelt to whisper in Conan’s ear. When he finished, the Osakan detective leaned back. “What d’ya think?”

“I think we have this case just about solved,” Conan said with a vicious grin. His smile fell at a thought. “It’s just the who and the motive we need.”

“We know who,” Hattori said, looking over at Toshida.

“Yeah,” Conan agreed. “But still, the _why_.”

“Is what _I_ know,” Hattori finished. “Reason I came here in th’first place.”

Conan gave him a confused look, but Hattori shook his head.

“Let’s get this deduction show outta th’way,” Hattori said, standing and shoving his hands into his pocket. “I’ll tell you with them.”

That just made Conan even more curious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, who can tell me how the culprit did it? I'm curious if I gave enough clues like the anime does(n't) or if I'll come totally out of left field.
> 
> It's my first murder mystery I'm writing, so please give me your honest thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the events in this fic.
> 
> PS- You know what's fun?
> 
> Getting sick.
> 
> You know what's funner?
> 
> Getting sick on the weekend.
> 
> You know what's *even funner*?
> 
> Getting sick on the first weekend you've had free in about a month.
> 
> You know what the funnest thing *ever* is?
> 
> Getting sick on the first weekend you've had free in about a month and *continuing* to be sick through-out the next week.
> 
>  
> 
> Apologies for the unexpected hiatus.

Conan rocked back and forth on his heels as he waited. It was an unfortunate habit he’d picked up from the Shounen Tantei, but it was one he wasn’t looking to get rid of any time soon. The motion reinstated him as a child in people’s minds, so he left it alone, annoying as it was to him.

He slowed to a stop when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Looking up, Conan asked, “You find him?”

“He’s talkin’ to a guy outside. Probably a reporter,” Hattori scoffed. “Freakin’ foreigners.”

“Hmm?” Conan was pretty sure it wasn’t just foreigners, but he wasn’t about to start an argument here. Instead, he shrugged and looked to the group milling about the basement. The body had been moved so they had more room to roam. “You ready to get started?”

“Lemme just tell Takagi-keiji his part,” Hattori said with a wave. The Osakan Sentinel ran over to whisper in Takagi’s ear, then wandered back over, looking to make sure they hadn’t left anything out. “Okay, give ‘em a second to set up and we should be good.”

“Are you going to tell us the trick?” Megure asked, walking over to the two. “Or is this really a suicide?”

“Nope, definitely murder.” Hattori shook his head. “And we wanted t’give Takagi-keiji a few minutes t’set up.”

*             *             *             *             *

“Thank you for the enlightening conversation,” Hakuba said, waving away the man at the gate. He had all the pieces now. He just needed to call everyone and-?

Takagi was feeling up the bust in the study.

“Takagi-keiji?” Hakuba called, watching the detective startle in reply. “May I help you with something?”

“A-ah… well… Hattori-kun asked for my help,” Takagi started weakly, “but I can’t seem to…”

Ah, it seemed Hot-Blooded-kun and Conan-kun had already started.

“Allow me,” Hakuba said, reaching out for the head of the bust. A quick tip back and a button revealed itself. Pressing the red button activated the mechanism to open the trapdoor. At Takagi’s slack-jawed expression, Hakuba asked, “Is there anything else he asked you to do?”

“A-h, hah, well…”

*             *             *             *             *

A knock sounded against the ceiling.

“-and that’s our cue!” Hattori grinned and presented Megure with an apron. “Inspector, if y’don’t mind?”

Megure looked disgruntled, but donned the apron anyway. It was one bought from the convenience store down the street, especially for their demonstration. It read ‘Kiss the cook’ in bright bubble letters. “Why is it always me?”

“Not _always_.” Conan grinned. “Sometimes Takagi-keiji gets to play the victim too!”

Megure harrumphed and tied the apron at his back. “Now what? Is Takagi going to come up behind me?”

“No.” Hattori shook his head. “The victim only had her own DNA under her nails, right? If the perp was in close range, she would’ve got him when she tried to fight back.”

“Ho?” Megure looked at one of his fellow investigators, who brought the report over for his purview. “I see.”

“Instead, we want you to walk over to the couch and TV there. Make sure to walk under where the victim hung,” Hattori ordered. Megure followed his orders over to where the entertainment area was set up. “Now, sit down.”

As soon as the inspector did so, the basement door slammed shut.

“Hah?!” Megure got to his feet. “Hey, who did that?!”

“I dunno,” Hattori said, un-phased. “Maybe you should check it out.”

Megure gave him an unimpressed look. “This is part of the demo, isn’t it?”

Hattori grinned.

Megure sighed.

The inspector wound his way around the couch and headed towards the door. His other detectives kept well out of the way, not wanting to disrupt the demo. Halfway to the staircase, something thick wound its way around his neck.

“Hah?!” Megure shouted, hands going to his neck. A quick tug and he could see it was a length of rope, similar to what the victim had hung from. “But from where-?!”

Above him, the burnt out light from before was missing. In its place, the rope hung down, end disappearing into the dark. If he squinted, Megure thought he could make out a pair of eyes.

“This basement was built after the rest of the house,” Conan said. “You can see by the way the staircases for the basement and second floor are the same length, but different heights. It’s possible the first owner used the crawlspace like a hiding place.”

“There’s a trapdoor opened by a switch up in th’study,” Hattori further explained. “At this point, th’murderer would pull up on th’rope, tightenin’ th’noose.”

“But…” Megure took the loop of the rope off his neck, leaving it to hang freely. “Wouldn’t the ceiling cave? It’s only plaster. It couldn’t hold the weight of two people.”

“If it were a normal ceilin’.” Hattori nodded. “But this one was originally a foundation floor. It needed t’be reinforced to add th’basement we’re in. A beam, right there” -he pointed to the hook the victim had hung from- “could hold th’weight of two people easily. It can be used both t’brace someone holdin’ a second weight and th’hook with th’dead weight of a body.”

“Why didn’t they just hang her on the hook to start with?”

“Her convulsions would have dislodged the rope from the hook.” Conan pointed out. “The hook is small, most likely a decoration or one used to hang decorative lights or flower baskets. It would be more ‘normal’ for that to be seen in a house rather than an industrial hook. So it would seem more impulsive rather than planned, leaning more to suicide than murder.”

“I see.” Megure scrutinized the hook. “Then what?”

“Then, after th’criminal hung his dead victim on th’hook-” Hattori paused to allow Takagi to move the noose over to the hook and tie it. However, the hand that appeared from the light source was _not_ Takagi’s. Hattori stuttered before soldiering on, “-all he had t’do was get th’key to the basement into her pocket.”

A string with the key lowered itself from the ceiling. It landed in front of Megure’s nose.

“Ah, so they just lowered it down…” Megure said, looking at his pocket. “But wait, wouldn’t you need two hands to move the body and tie the knot in the rope?”

“Not if the knot was already in the rope,” Conan chimed in. “Then, by holding the main weight with your body as an anchor and doubling back the rope, one hand can reach out with the slack and loop it around the hook.”

“Ho!” Megure’s eyebrows lifted in understanding.

“As for the key, the criminal would need a hand,” Hattori explained. “Since th’victim was no longer directly under ‘em.”

“Ah!” Megure replaced himself where the noose hung, now several inches away from where the key hung. “It’s too far away now.”

From the ceiling, a new object came –a pair of long-handled branch cutters. A gasp of awe rippled through the detectives as the branch cutters lowered on the opposite side of the key and caught the string in its jaw. Without closing, the string stayed uncut until it and its cargo were positioned above Megure’s apron pocket.

The string receded to the ceiling until the key pressed against the underside of the cutter jaws with the knot on the upper side. One snip and the key dropped into Megure’s pocket. The rest of the string disappeared into the ceiling with the branch cutters. The burnt out light was replaced over the gap, leaving the room as it was found.

“I see!” Megure exclaimed. “That’s how they did it!”

“And a piece of string was left behind,” Hattori said, digging into Megure’s pocket. “Th’smell of grass, more specifically chlorophyll, comin’ from th’branch cutters being evidence of this method.”

“Why did he tie a knot though?” Megure questioned. “Why cut the string and leave evidence?”

“Holding the string and getting it into position requires two hands,” Conan said, gesturing with his own hands. “Trying to hold the key poised and releasing the string could end up misplacing it. Since this is the only key to the basement, he wouldn’t be able to fix his mistake. The murderer likely chose the option with the least likelihood of mistakes. A piece of string the same color as the apron? Probably would go unnoticed, is what the murderer thought.”

“So who did it?” Megure asked, looking around at the suspects: the elderly butler, the college-age maid, and the husband.

“The only one who knew of th’crawlspace ‘n who had the strength t’hold his wife as she struggled to death” -Hattori pointed an accusing finger at Toshida- “th’master of th’house, Toshida-san!”

“What?!” The man stumbled back as every eye turned on him. He glared, his mouth downturned in a frown and hands balled into fists. “What reason would I have to kill my own wife? Where’s your proof?!”

“Your fingerprints on th’cutters would be one; also on th’light units ‘n the bust upstairs,” Hattori pointed out. “Yer butler changes th’lights –accentuated by the fact you didn’t fix the burnt out one. Yer wife took care of the garden, plain t’see by all the pink-colored gardening supplies. What reason would you have fer yer fingerprints bein’ there? Any DNA of yers in th’crawlspace would be suspect too.”

“I-I-!”

“The roughhewn rope you used would have scraped into your skin, leavin’ rope burn as your victim struggled –or are you sayin’ those bandages are from somethin’ else?” Toshida hid his hands behind his back, as if to hide the evidence. Hattori hung his head. “As fer yer motive…”

“I know the motive,” Hakuba said from his place at the door. When every eye had turned to him, he stalked forward, withdrawing a set of documents from his suit jacket. “These are divorce papers, filled out and signed by the victim.”

Conan frowned and looked at Hattori, but the teen remained a blank slate.

“I also spoke with an individual out front who claimed to be a private detective,” Hakuba continued as he handed off the papers to Takagi. “One you hired to follow your wife. I assume that he found her with another man and presented you with evidence. After seeing pictures of the two together, you became angry and started throwing things around. That’s when you found the trapdoor opened by the bust –something left from the previous owners.”

So Hakuba had seen that. Conan shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Then, you became struck with an idea.” Hakuba stalked forward, perfectly poised as his suspect sweated. “Why not just get rid of her? A divorce is messy, scandalous. You could lose half your wealth or more and your name would be sullied. A suicide was much easier, wasn’t it?”

“That cheating wench!” the suspect spat. “We’d been married three years! I never suspected anything! We had our dogs, Grover and Miles. We had a timeshare out in Kyoto. We were _happy_! She never said anything –not until _he_ came along! She wanted to leave me for a younger man! I couldn’t allow that!”

“Yer wrong.” Hattori finally spoke, startling Conan. The criminal glared at him. Hattori glared right back. “Yer wife didn’t want t’leave you. She didn’t have a choice.”

“Are you saying he blackmailed her?” the murderer demanded. “If she had come to me, I could have helped! I could have stopped that man!”

Hattori shook his head. “She was forced by somethin’ greater than blackmail. She was forced by th’law.”

“W… what?” The criminal looked on, confused.

“Yer wife was a Rank B Guide,” Hattori explained. “As y’know, high ranked Guides are required by law t’step up ‘n bond with high level Sentinels, should they appear. Last week, in Osaka, a level 4 Sentinel came online. Your wife was th’next available Guide in th’system.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, got that out of the way.
> 
> How many people correctly guessed the sealed room trick? Just curious. I'm trying to make sure I don't leave any loose ends on my first murder mystery.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the events in this fic.
> 
>  
> 
> PS- Here is the end of the newest addition to the series! Just a warning, the next addition will have a bit of delay to it. I have a little bit more saved up for it, but I will need to write more before I feel comfortable posting. 
> 
> WARNING this is where the most Hakuba X Hattori action is... and you will note that it's little to none. However, it does say why I didn't go with Hattori X Kazuha in it, so if you're curious, have a read. :)

“Y-you’re lying,” the murderer choked. “She never said-!”

“I bet those divorce papers relinquished her claim to yer wealth,” Hattori guessed. “‘N when that detective came back with pictures o’the two of them, you didn’t bother t’ask questions. You didn’t bother t’ask your wife of three years why she was with another man. If you had…” Hattori’s glare darkened, his head tipping down until his hat shadowed his eyes, “...you’d a‘known it wasn’t her choice.”

“You’re lying… you’re _lying_!” The suspect lunged for the branch cutters. He scooped them up before anyone could stop him. The innocent metal flashed coldly in the fluorescent lights.

Startled, Hakuba sent out a pulse to the other Guides in the area, warning them to take cover. He brushed Hattori’s mind, the only active Sentinel in the immediate area, before he stopped himself and quickly pulled back.

Brandishing the sharp blades, the murderer ordered. “Stay back!”

“Everyone stand down!” Megure ordered, hand raised as the murderer fled the room. Digging out his radio, Megure relayed the events to all squads. “We’ve got a killer on the move! Toshida Shino, age 35, has a pair of branch cutters in hand -not the murder weapon. He must be caught at all costs. Takagi, Satou-!”

A blur raced up the stairs.

Conan yelled “Hattori!” after it, but it was too late.

Hattori Heiji was already on the move.

Instinctively, Hakuba reached out to see if he could pull the Sentinel back, and cursed. He was only vaguely familiar with the hot-blooded teen’s mind, but even _he_ could tell this chaotic array of vicious thoughts was out of character for the Osakan detective.

_ Guide. Protect. Hurt Guide. Killed Guide. **Kill**. _

Like an echo, Hakuba felt the cold bite of steel under Hattori’s hand, likely the stoker from the fireplace upstairs. Various images were skewing across his mind’s eye as Hakuba heard Conan call out for his friend at the bottom of the stairs.

“He’s gone into a Rage,” Hakuba warned Megure, even as he pushed Conan aside and darted up the stairs to give chase. “Have officers on standby! I’ll try to calm him down!”

The images flashing by like phantoms in front of his eyes showed Hakuba which direction to take. Right and left, left and right. The murderer was before him. The man who _killed Guide. Right there. Hurt people. Hurt **Guide**. Can’t allow. **Can’t allow!**_

Hakuba bit the inside of his cheek as he picked up speed, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to catch up to the Sentinel, not until the two slowed down.

In his mind’s eye, the murderer stopped. Turned. _Faced him like a man. Sword drawn. True warrior. **Not a warrior. Coward**!_

Hakuba wasn’t sure if he should thank his luck or curse it. The murderer had stopped to fight the Sentinel off, not knowing that the Osakan teen was in a Rage. The chase had been dropped. Hakuba could catch up, but at what cost?

He heard the sounds of steel against steel, clash of weapon upon weapon, long before he ever turned the corner to find the two locked in combat.

Hakuba had never seen Hattori like this. The man was an _animal_.

Being a man of the sword himself, Hakuba had watched the other detective’s matches, different as Kendo was from Fencing. The way Hattori moved, the way he used his sword against his opponent, it was… beautiful and strong in a way Hakuba could not explain, but not now.

The normally graceful footwork and efficient swordplay had devolved into clumsy moves and brute force. The criminal’s own blades got several blows in, but the Osakan carried on as if he didn't have rivulets of blood running down his skin.

“Hattori!” Hakuba called, trying to break the other teen from his trance. “Hattori!”

_ Will hurt Guide. Will hurt Tribe. Must **die**! _

_Not like this, Hattori. You know this isn’t right._

It was no use. The Osakan just growled and pressed forward, shoving the criminal off their feet and down to the ground. Seeing his chance, the Sentinel held his stoker high for the death blow, pointed end gleaming in the dying sun.

“Shit!” Hakuba hurried to press his fingers against his temple. “I didn't want to do this!”

Right before the Sentinel could deliver the final blow, Hakuba reached out…

And threw himself into the Sentinel’s mind.

_HATTORI!_

The Sentinel froze, stoker tip inches from the criminal's throat. Shocked, the criminal fainted, eyes rolling into the back of his head.

Neither Guide nor Sentinel noticed, too caught up in their heads.

Hakuba felt the heat of righteous anger burn against his mind like actual flames. He heard disgust and fury howl in his ears. Helplessness buffeted against him like waves crashing in the ocean.

But not a one touched him.

Not a one struck out at him, tore at him, burned his flesh. The Sentinel Instincts cried out to protect the Tribe, but they would never hurt a Guide, not if they could stop it. Hattori was no different. Hakuba could feel his anger, but it was not directed at the Guide. Instead, there was a shield, a buffer of warm air between him and the furious Rage that stole over the Sentinel’s thoughts.

Instinctively or not, Hattori was protecting Hakuba from the worst of it.

By how strong his shield was, it was not the first time either. He’d had to protect a Guide from himself before, _many times_.

Slowly, keeping the link as steady as possible, Hakuba backed out of Hattori’s mind. It wouldn’t do for _both_ of them to get locked up inside. Hakuba, at least, needed to keep an eye on their surroundings and on the criminal himself. The less time he spent in the Sentinel’s mind, the less chance of unwanted bonding.

 _Hattori…_ Hakuba tried again, more softly. The Sentinel twitched, slowly lowering the stoker to his side. Hakuba could feel the inner turmoil that boiled beneath the Osakan’s skin. Slowly, Hakuba paced one step closer. _Put the stoker down._

The Sentinel didn't react immediately. His mind cringed from the order, not wanting to let go of his defense, but the Guide’s request eventually won out.

The fire stoker dropped to the ground, clattering against the black top.

Now that he was facing an unarmed Sentinel, Hakuba felt much safer approaching the Raging teen. Hakuba checked on the criminal first, making sure Toshida was out cold before handcuffing him to a nearby fence. Once the danger was taken care of, Hakuba turned his attention to Hattori, who still stood where he’d been left. His eyes stared forward vacantly as his mind tried to grasp some semblance of calm that the Osakan never truly had in the first place. It looked like the Rage had subsided to Fugue.

Hakuba put a hand to his chin in thought. From previous observation, he knew Hattori was a Sentinel, most likely a level 2. However, level 2s didn't rage like Hattori just did. At best, they became catatonic during a zone. The only ones known to still function in a Fugue were level 4s and Rages were left to level 5s –but that went against the observations Hakuba had made.

However, it did explain why Hakuba could not figure out which senses Hattori had. In the few times they’d met, Hattori had shown hearing and taste the first time, sight and smell the second. If he were taking Senes-3, he could cancel out three senses, but leave the other two under his control. The downside: Hattori couldn’t choose _which_ two.

But why would the teen choose to do that? Not only was that dangerous over time, but it would constantly confuse a Sentinel as senses drifted in and out of their control until there was nothing left but to Rage at anything within reach.

Hakuba needed answers. To get those, he needed Hattori out of that Fugue.

 _Hattori_. Hakuba pressed forward. _Hattori, you need to come out_.

There was a shift in the thoughts as Hattori struggled to listen to him _....You’re not Kazuha_.

The name sounded familiar. The Osakan’s friend that rescued them by boat from the Tantei Koshien Island, if Hakuba remembered right. Was she a Guide? Was she typically the one to bring Hattori out of Fugues? Hakuba didn't remember feeling a strong Guide presence from her. Maybe that was where the problem lay.

 _No, I am not Kazuha-san,_ Hakuba agreed, shuffling forward. _But you need to come out of your Fugue. It’s dangerous to remain here long._

_ I can't. _

_Why not?_

_ I promised Kazuha.  _

Well, that didn't explain anything.

_You need to come out of the Fugue, Hattori. It’s not good for you to stay like this._

_ I promised. _

Hakuba’d had enough of this. The only thing keeping him from going in there and dragging Hattori out was the very real possibility that they’d end up bonded and Hakuba would like to avoid all possibility of that.

Still, that didn't mean he couldn't press orders onto Hattori’s mind.

_Come out of your Fugue!_

_ I can't! _

_Do it!_

_ No, I-! _

_Come out here, right now!_

_ But I-!  _

Really, if this were another time, another place, another person, Hakuba would be impressed by the sheer amount of will the Sentinel was displaying by disobeying a Guide. He’d never seen a mind press and squirm under an order quite like this. Hattori’s mind was becoming increasingly desperate though. If he didn't stop, it's possible that Hakuba could trigger another Rage, this time aimed at him.

_ I promised-! I can’t! I promised her! _

_What did you promise?_

_...Promised she was enough. Promised I wouldn't follow another Guide. ...Promised I’d bond with her. _

And that just about answered all of Hakuba’s questions.

_We don't have to tell her._

_??? _

_She won't have to know. I won't tell, you won't tell. She won't know. Everyone wins._

Hakuba felt the Sentinel’s will faltering.

_Besides, she wouldn't want you to get hurt because of her, right? She’d want you out of the Fugue as fast as possible, yes?_

_...Yeah… _

Hakuba felt the other’s consciousness start to slip towards the surface.

_Come on then, it’s time to wake up._

Hakuba waited patiently for the Sentinel’s mind to quiet and his conscious self to awaken. It took a few minutes, during which Hakuba kept up a steady mental recitation of _A Study in Scarlet_. Some Guides quoted historians, others repeated whole albums of songs -some even painted portraits in their minds to quiet Sentinels, the mental activities soothing.

Hakuba recited Sherlock Holmes, for the obvious reason.

“Enough of that depressing stuff!” Hattori groaned, pressing a fist to the bridge of his nose. “This is why I read Ellery Queen.”

“ _Excuse you,_ Conan Doyle is a _masterful author_!” Hakuba said hotly. Surprised at his own outburst, he straightened his tie and cleared his throat. “How are you feeling?”

“How much did y’find out?” Hattori demanded without preamble. “When you were in my head?”

It was a commonly known fact. When Guides entered the Sentinels’ minds to better help them, some facts and daily activities would be shared between the two. Hattori wasn’t being rude in asking. He just wanted to know what, exactly, Hakuba had gotten from him.

“I… tried not to pry,” Hakuba answered. “But… you are not a level 2 Sentinel like you try to make yourself out to be.”

Hattori didn’t reply.

“Any reason you’re trying to keep it secret?” Hakuba prodded.

There was silence for several minutes before the Osakan sighed and shifted into a squat in the middle of the road.

“Kazuha’s only a level D Guide,” Hattori explained begrudgingly. “We tried before, t’bond, when I first came online. It… it didn't go well. We couldn't form th’connection.”

“She was too weak,” Hakuba noted.

“I was too _strong_ ,” Hattori sneered at the ground. He crossed his arms on his knees and rested his chin on them. “The attempt nearly broke her. She was in a coma fer _days_. Afterwards, she said it wa’n't so bad, that she wanted t’try again, but I couldn't let that happen. Instead, I chose t’numb my senses by usin’ Senes-3.”

“A dangerous choice.”

Hattori shrugged. “It made sense at th’time. Neither of us wanted anyone else. We thought we could make it work.”

“But you’re losing control,” Hakuba noted.

“More often than not,” Hattori agreed sadly. “And she’s gettin’ headaches more ‘n more. We know it's not gonna work, but… we can't help but try.”

Hakuba was silent for a long moment, before: “You need to break it off.”

“ _What_?!” Hattori jerked his gaze up, glaring at Hakuba.

“Break it off,” Hakuba repeated, voice firm. “If you don’t, she’ll get the brunt of it.”

“Y’say that like it’s _easy_!” Hattori shouted, shooting to his feet. “You say that like y’haven’t had to tell yer _best friend_ that you can’t _wait on her_! Yer sayin’ that like-!”

“Like I’ve seen, first hand, what those types of relationships do to people,” Hakuba finished, crossing his arms and cupping one elbow. “You don’t have to listen to me, Hattori. I am not ordering you to do anything. I am simply telling you.” Hakuba narrowed his eyes. “If you and she try, _really try_ , to bond, you will succeed –for the few moments it takes to scramble her brain and permanently maim her.”

Whatever protest Hattori had died in his throat at the image that left in his head. Kazuha, pale and unresponsive, trapped on a hospital bed like those Guides he’d seen in the Special Ward of the Centers. He… he didn’t want that for her.

“If you require someone, I can be of assistance,” Hakuba said after a quiet moment. “I know that I am officially licensed in England, but I am a Guide no matter where my qualification was recorded.”

Another quiet moment of thought, then…

“I can’t bond with anyone.” Hattori shook his head. “Not yet.”

Hakuba narrowed his eyes at him. “And why is that?”

“I’ve got someone t’protect,” Hattori answered. Hakuba expected more, but the Osakan turned and started back to the crime scene instead. As the sirens of police back-up drew nearer, Hakuba couldn’t help but wonder who, exactly, the hot-blooded detective was protecting.

And why the name Kudou came to mind.

*             *             *             *             *

“ _Oi, you okay?”_ the childish voice sounded even higher-pitched across the phone line.

“M’fine,” Hattori said as he took a sip of his soda. It had been a few days since his Rage, but his parents still ordered him to take it easy.

The criminal had been caught and booked and the Sentinel had found a new Guide. According to his father, the victim had not been able to bond with the Sentinel, which just made the case even sadder. She would have been able to return to her husband after it was proven that she had shown ‘due diligence.’

“By the way, how did you know the victim was a Guide?”

“My pops,” Hattori explained. “As th’Chief of Police, he’s notified whene’er a Sentinel level 4 ‘r higher comes online. Mostly so, when police find some poor guy standing in th’middle o’the street, starin’ at nothin’, they don’t arrest ‘em. He gets notified if there're potential Guide fer them t’bond too. Legal reasons. If they’re in the area ‘n what-not.”

“ _I guess that makes sense.”_ Kudou sounded thoughtful. “ _I wonder if Megure ever gets word about active Sentinels.”_

Hattori made a non-committal noise before a thought occurred to him. “Kudou, yanno what I said about Senes-4?”

“ _Yeah_?”

“Well, f’rget about it. Doin’ that… it’s dangerous.”

 _“...I’m already taking it_.”

Hattori frowned at the phone, as if Kudou could see him. “Kudou…”

“ _I’ve… I’ve actually slept, Hattori. For real, not just tossing and turning and staring at the inside of my eyelids. I’ve dreamt for the first time in weeks_!”

“Kudou, I’m warnin’ ya-!”

“ _Hattori, I hear you, but I have no other choice.”_ A call in the background signaled the teen-turned-kid’s curfew. “ _I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow, Hattori_.”

The line went dead.

Hattori sighed and looked up at the moon through his window. He never should have told Kudou about Senes-4, but he’s sure the other detective would have tried it at some point or another.

“You okay?” A voice from the door made him turn his head. Kazuha stood in the doorway, looking as if she wasn’t sure if she was allowed in. Hattori held out an arm and quick as a wink, she was snuggled in close. Both huddled on his bed, gazing out at the moon in a rare, quiet moment. If only Hattori could stay in this moment forever, he’d be set for life.

Too bad he had to break it up.

They said a clean break was the best kind. It healed the quickest, no matter how much it hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? That wasn't so bad. :) I think the dynamics between Hakuba and Hattori will be fun to play with later on, but first, another Kaito X Shinichi fic! Yay!

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to say "Good Job!" or "Update soon!" Please just leave a Kudo (or a Kaito, i'm not picky. ;))
> 
> If you have some good advice about writing that could help me develop my skills or better explain this world, please leave a comment below.
> 
> Also, another reply to Blank. I had some troubles with the Reply for comments this week. It wouldn't let me post a reply to any I had approved. They should be there now.


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